Role Overview

The primary purpose of the role is to provide relief support to the Child & Youth Services Team. The Relief Child & Youth Worker will support the team in providing support to children, young people and mothers impacted by domestic violence in both refuge and community outreach settings.

To achieve this the Relief Child & Youth Worker will work in collaboration with the mother to address each child’s physical, educational, social and emotional needs. They will support the family to counteract the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) related to domestic violence and other complex issues by following the objectives of a child-centered care plan to support their holistic needs.

The Relief Child & Youth Worker will deliver group-based programmes within the community in collaboration with SDVS staff and external agencies to promote trauma recovery, early intervention and prevention of domestic violence and abuse.

What we offer you

• Salary: €17.70 per hour.
• Probation: 6 months
• Location: Dublin
• This role is part of the Child & Youth ServicesTeam.
• Benefits: All employee benefits outlined on page 4.
• Commitment to work–life balance and staff wellbeing.
• Hours of work: Variation of shift patterns, which will fall normally but not exclusively, from Monday – Sunday on a 12.5h per shift.

As the relief role is to provide cover for both planned and short notice leave, a high level of availability and flexibility is required.

Employee Benefits

• Pension: My Future Fund Pension Scheme.
• Annual leave: As an employee of SDVS, you will receive 8% annual leave entitlement pro rata.
• Digital Doctor: Free access to a digital doctor for employees and their families.
• Education Support: At SVDS we offer an Education Assistance policy for employees to apply for funding towards further education.
• Training & Development: Access to excellent training opportunities and continuous professional development.
• Well-being App: All employees have access to the Wisdom app to support employees in all 4 pillars of their well-being.
• EAP: We offer a 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme for employees and their families to avail of counselling support confidentially.
• Wellbeing Days: We host several employee wellbeing activities across the year for employees to take time out to focus on team building and their own wellbeing.

Key Responsibilities

• Settling Families: Welcoming families, providing emotional and practical support, and coordinating school placements.
• Care Plans: Supporting tailored care plans for children and ensuring progress.
• Parenting Support: Offering advice on parenting and domestic violence.
• Child Support: Delivering play sessions and safe spaces for emotional development.
• Advocacy: Assisting with appointments, organizing outings, and providing court support.
• Teamwork and Safety: Maintaining safe spaces, collaborating with teams, and following child protection policies.

Additional tasks are performed as needed to support the organization’s goals. Please see full job description on our recruitment pack here.

About you

Qualification & Work Experience:

• Third level Qualification at degree level in Social Care, Early Childhood Studies or Community/Family Development.

Knowledge & Skills:

• Knowledge and insight into the issues affecting women and children of domestic violence and the impact on their physical, emotional and psychological well-being.
• Knowledge of child development and the potential long-term impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences.
• Knowledge of procedures and practices relating to child protection and the safeguarding of children and young people.
• Knowledge of national policies that influence our work with children, young people and families.
• Strong independent risk management, problem solving and decision-making skills.
• Ability to work with complex need client groups with creative ideas for successful engagement.
• Strong organisational and time management skills.
• Must have experience of using CRM systems (preferably Salesforce) to record work and possess good IT and report writing skills.
• Excellent interpersonal communication skills with the ability to build strong, trusting relationships with clients, colleagues and external services.